Canyon Ranch Las Vegas Spa: Staying Fit in Vegas

Canyon Ranch has long been one of the top destination spas in the world. Its primary locations are in Lenox, Mass and Tucson Arizona. They did just recently open a new location in the redwoods in California. The brand has also developed partnerships, having a spa partnership with Celebrity Cruises, offering healthy meals in flight with Singapore Airlines, and they have also based spa locations within hotels. For while, they did have a spa in Miami, but that close. Most notable is their location in Las Vegas.

This always intrigued me since who is really going to Vegas to get healthy? Admittedly the Venetian hasn’t been one of my usual places that I like to stay. I usually prefer being more in the centrally located. So that’s probably one of the reasons I haven’t quite made it to Canyon Ranch. Well, that and I still very much want to go to one of their true destination locations. But since I had a conference that was located in the Venetian Casino & Resort, I decided to stay there, and naturally check out Canyon Ranch Las Vegas Spa

Canyon Ranch Las Vegas Spa Details

The Spa

Canyon Ranch Las Vegas Spa is a sprawling complex located on the 4^thfloor. The Venetian does offer Canyon Ranch Spa rooms, which are located just down the hall from the spa. But for the rest of the people staying at either the Venetian or Palazzo you can still access the spa.

At first you access a hub that includes a restaurant Truth & Tonic, The Fitness Center, including a Rock Climbing Wall. If you proceeding to the spa itself, or their second restaurant, Canyon Ranch Grill, you walk through a maze (you will get your 10,000 steps, but hey, its Vegas!) of hallways that lead you to the main reception for the spa, and as mentioned the Canyon Ranch Grill.

Single-Sex Thermal Areas

Once you check in, you will then head to the locker room, and get your sandals, robe and be shown to your locker. This section includes all the locker room areas, showers, and vanity areas. You will also have the water treatment experiences as part of their Aquavana® experience. These include:

Crystal Steam Room – An aromatic steam environment with a large crystal to for focus and inspiration.
Experiential Rains – Multi-sensory cooling showers.
Classic Sauna
Herbal Laconium
HydroSpa – Lounge chairs with a variety of massage fountains providing gentle pressure at pressure points
Igloo – Cool air and Arctic Mist experiences

Relaxation Areas

At the end of the hallway you will find a sizable lounge area, where you will wait for your therapist to arrive. Here you will check in with another attendant. This waiting area offers a more social waiting area up front, and a quiet area with darkened room with lounges.

There will be a bit more of a walk to your actual treatment room through another labrynth of a hallway, but this walk also leads you to the Conservatory. This also has seating in a space for relaxation and conversation. It is also a co-ed space, whereas the first waiting area I mentioned was within the gender designated facilities. The conservatory is also home to the Wave Room and Salt Grotto. What are those you ask? The Salt Grotto – Soothing “sea air” washes over heated benches and intimate seating niches overlooking a bubbling fountain. And the Wave Room – A multi-sensory experience simulating the look and feel of breaking waves under a domed canopy.

My Itinerary

You have access to the facilities until they close. So for me, I had a treatment time in the middle of the day when I had some free time in my conference schedule. I did of course arrive early to relax. They recommend an hour before. I probably was close to that, although truthfully, if I had had more time, I could have arrived even earlier. This is definitely the time to make use of the Aquavana® experience.

I have blogged before about the secret to getting the most out of your spa experience and that is to layer on as much relaxation and warming of the muscle up before any bodywork. So the thermal waters are definitely good for that. Plus taking the time to truly disconnect ahead of your treatment just enhances the relaxation experience and effects.

I had the Canyon Ranch Custom Massage. It is their signature massage, and I usually like to try what is the signature experience from a spa.

Since I had access to the facility until it closed, I did head back down later, to spend some more time in the Salt Grotto and Wave Room. I did not want to leave! I will say that is the benefit of staying at the Venetian as opposed to just visiting Canyon Ranch Las Vegas Spa while staying elsewhere in Las Vegas, it does make it easier to come back in the same day.

What I Loved about Canyon Ranch Spa – Las Vegas

So, I loved my treatment experience, but its pretty hard not to love a massage! But beyond that, what really made my experience at Canyon Ranch Las Vegas Spa notable were two things:

The Crystal Grotto & Wave Room

First, within my spa experience, the Wave room and the Crystal Grotto were so relaxing. As I mentioned I went back later to be able to get more time just relaxing, not wanting it to end. It is not often that we get time to just relax, chill and be quiet and reflective, and this experience supports that.

Truth & Tonic & Canyon Ranch Grill

Second, were the restaurants, Truth & Tonic and the Canyon Ranch Grill. For those of you who know my spa experiences, I love the food at destination spas. It is not was some might think of spa food. Its not just lettuce and “rabbit food” or snack mixes. It is high end gourmet food, prepared healthily and in a true portion size. Staying at Venetian, I made use of both of these restaurants for breakfast and a late lunch. Honestly if both of these places were open late for dinner, I probably would have dined there. I know, its Vegas, there are so many great restaurants to try, so I am lucky its not open late, so I am forced to go to those other restaurants, cause otherwise, I might have just dined exclusively at Canyon Ranch restaurants for the whole time.

Canyon Ranch Grill is well worth it, but it is a little bit more exclusive since it is a a walk back to the main spa. So, in general I found it to be a quitter and more relaxing experience. Truth & Tonic is more centrally located by the fitness center, and so there is a little bit more energy with people coming and going. It’s a great spot to start your day!

What Could Be Better?

So there was a little hiccup in the reservation. I actually never got a confirmation of reservation I had booked. Unfortunately for me, because I knew I had this conference, I booked my spa treatment months in advance when I made all the travel arrangements. So as the time drew closer and I searched through my emails for a confirmation and couldn’t find it. I assumed that maybe I hadn’t booked a treatment and I booked something again. This time I did have a confirmation. In noth cases there is no call or email to remind you of your confirmation. So needless to say, there was a little mix up when I didn’t show up for the one appointment. But I have to say that Canyon Ranch was very gracious about the issue.

My advice: Just say make sure you are on top of your reservation, because you will not get a confirmation before your spa day.

Their third restaurant option, CR Creāt , (which is not located in the spa vicinity), was a bit disappointing to me. Creāt is a stop-and-go destination for energy-boosting juices and coffee, nutritious wraps, sandwiches, and snacks. I love this idea, especially getting a juice and coffee before my conference. I also loved on their menu which features these bagels with these innovative cream cheese flavors. So, I was pretty disappointed when all I got was a bagel with a container of Philadelphia Cream Cheese. I am not sure what was up with that.

Summary

Canyon Ranch Las Vegas Spa is well worth the visit if you want a true spa day complete with dining options. I would spend all day there if I could! But Canyon Ranch LV Spa is an absolute must if you are looking to stay healthy while traveling. With is dining options, fitness classes and gym, as well as the spa, it truly is able to give you some of that destination spa experience to support your goals while in the middle of Sin City.

If you have been or plan on going, comment below.